Iguazú, Argentina
Tips for Navigating Iguazú, Argentina
Your park entrance fee is $500 AR ($30 USD) and you must pay in cash and the local currency. You need your passport to confirm your nationality.
If you plan to return the following day, you can get your ticket stamped before leaving the park for a half-price entry fee the following day.
Getting from the Airport:
The cheapest means of transportation that I found from the airport was through Four Tourist Travel, which has a booth in the lobby of the airport where you initially exit. They offer a transfer to most local hotels for $120 AR (about $8 USD). You can also ask your hotel to arrange your return to the airport through the same company.
What to Bring:
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Bug spray is a must! There are a lot of thirsty mosquitos waiting to snack on you
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Sunscreen the sun is strong and you’ll spend a good portion of the exposed
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Sunglasses!! Maybe a hat also!
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A backpack with a change of clothes and water bottle
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Bring your lunch instead of purchasing an expensive low-quality meal in the park
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If you’re planning on bringing a poncho (which doesn’t do much), purchase it in the City Center of Iguazú for $70 AR rather than $200 AR in the park
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Flip flops and bathing suit for the boat
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GoPro if you have one or can borrow one from a friend –Many of the landscapes are so large in scale that a wide-lens is best. Not to mention the waterproof feature!
Tour Companies:
I used Caracol Turismo because they had a Groupon voucher for $30. Really just provided transfers to and from the park and made sure we didn’t get lost. Both of which I am grateful for, but I was bummed I didn’t get much information about the park. Most of the other tours seemed to operate in the same manner. If you’re looking for a more informational tour, I recommend you do your research.
I will say that navigating the park is quite easy if you have a map and can be done without a guide. But the transfers to and from the park may be just as expensive as the above tour.
Excursions:
I highly recommend the Gran Aventura boat excursion. It was the highlight of my day and felt like an amusement park ride. Children under 12 and pregnant women are not permitted to take part in this activity.
It costs 950 AR (About $56 USD) but I feel it’s completely worth it. I recommend that you pay for the excursion ahead of time, most hotels have a tourist center where you can pay and get the voucher there. You will need to present your voucher before boarding the boat. You can also purchase a video of your boat excursion from a videographer aboard your boat.
Lockers:
Lockers are available to rent at the entrance of the park but your tour guide will not stop or offer them to you unless you ask (at least mine didn’t).
But you really won’t need them unless you have large luggage with you. The Gran Aventura Excursion gives each passenger a waterproof bag that is large enough to fit your backpack, shoes and phone. The bag is made of a plastic tarp material that you roll up. My things remained dry the entire time.
Handicap Accessible & Kid Friendly:
I found the park itself very navigable. You didn’t have to partake in difficult hikes to get to the falls. In fact, I was impressed to see that almost all of the park was handicap-accessible. I was so pleased to see this because this was the first National Park I’ve visited where people with physical disabilities could enjoy it completely. For the same reason, the majority of the people were their kids
